Liz Truss forced the Department for Education into an embarrassing climbdown over China policy ...
Liz Truss forced the Department for Education into an embarrassing climbdown over China policy when it issued a surprise statement backing the controversial Confucius Institutes.
A Departmental source had told The Telegraph that China is a “leading member of the international community” when the Department defended the Chinese centres in universities.
In a furious backlash, Conservative MPs told Liz Truss to “put her money where her mouth is” on China and overrule the Department.
The Prime Minister on Sunday ordered the Education Secretary Kit Malthouse to revise his Department’s language on China following the backlash. Downing Street and the Foreign Office required the Department to issue a revised statement, The Telegraph was told.
A Government spokesman said: “The Prime Minister’s determination to stand up to China is unwavering and the UK government is committed to doing more to adapt to China’s growing impact.”
He added: “As with any international collaboration, universities have a responsibility to ensure that any partnership with a Confucius Institute is managed appropriately and the right due diligence is in place. We would encourage any providers with concerns to contact the government.”
The 30 institutes were set up in partnership with the Chinese Government to deliver culture and language classes. However, a report by the Henry Jackson Society found that the vast majority are engaged in other activities, from political lobbying to expanding China’s reach into advanced manufacturing. Researchers also alleged that staff at some institutes in the UK are having their political views and ethnic backgrounds filtered by Chinese officials.
In an initial response to the report, a Department for Education source had said: “China is a leading member of the international community, and we have a strong and constructive relationship with China in many areas.”
'Openness and freedom of expression'
A spokesperson for the Department had said that the institutes are “required to operate transparently and with a full commitment to our values of openness and freedom of expression.” The Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Bill, which is currently passing through Parliament, “addresses concerns about the possible influence of overseas money in English Higher Education whilst ensuring that lawful freedom of speech is supported to the fullest extent,” the spokesperson added.
The U-turn came after Sir Iain Duncan-Smith, the former Conservative leader who is running to become the next chairman of the foreign affairs select committee, said: “If Liz Truss wants to be tougher on China, then let her put her money where her mouth is. And the first thing you’re going to do is ban bloody Confucius Institutes. Out. All together. Gone.” He said the prime minister must “overrule [her] education department and say that they’re not welcome here.”
He added: “I don’t know who authorised this statement…It’s a shocker really.”
Tim Loughton, a Conservative MP, said a group of MPs has called for an “urgent meeting” with Kit Malthouse over the “deeply disappointing” statement, which he said was “completely out of line with current Government thinking”.
Rishi Sunak pledged to ban the institutes, which he said are being used to promote “Chinese soft power”, during his leadership campaign. Ms Truss said she had been much more willing than Mr Sunak to stand up to Beijing.
Bob Seely, another Tory MP, said: “I am a little bit concerned about it, because in some countries Confucius Institutes have been shut down, because they’re a means by which China spies on its students in this country. The Government has made clear its commitment to having a stronger approach to China, and I think Confucius Institutes have to be part of that approach.”
The Government could grant itself the power to ban the institutes via amendments to bills going through parliament including Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Bill and the National Security Bill. In other countries such as Sweden they have been banned. The US has clamped down on Confucius Institutes by restricting funding to any university that hosts them. In 2013, McMaster University in Ontario, Canada, shut down its institute after a lecturer lodged a discrimination complaint that her religious beliefs were being suppressed.
The Chinese embassy has defended the work of the institutes, saying the “educational exchanges between China and the UK” should be seen “in an objective and sensible manner” and “the huge public interest in learning more about Chinese language and culture” should be “respected and recognised”.
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